Twin Destinies
by Kristen257
Summary: An answer to my own challenge posted months ago to my groups. What if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.
1. Default Chapter

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies Prologue?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**Prologue**

"They're coming! He knows!"

It was the news the monks had feared most. You-Know-Who had finally found them and was coming for the Key. The protective wards they had set up wouldn't be able to hold him and his Death Eaters out for long. Their Order's entire reason for existence was to ensure that The Key couldn't be allowed to fall into such evil hands. The Key itself was too powerful, and who knew what dark purposes would be accomplished if Voldemort were to gain possession of it. The world would be doomed if the monks couldn't prevent it from happening.

They had planned for this eventuality. They knew that they couldn't hold the Key and keep it safe forever. It was time to put the plan into action. The monks scattered to their posts.

Five of them hurried down a long hallway lined with doors on either side that appeared to dead end in a solid wall pebbled with stones. One of the monks reached down and pressed three stones in the wall in sequence. The wall slid aside with surprising ease and the five monks hurried through the opening. The last one through turned around and pressed an emergency code into the keypad by the door that slid the wall back into place. Once the stone panel was closed both muggle and magical wards on their side of the wall began to glow as they were activated. The monks had now locked themselves into a secret room. Hopefully their measures along with the efforts of their fellow monks who wouldn't be performing the spell would be enough to hold the Death Eaters at bay and grant them the time they needed. This was where they would make their last stand. It would be the last room to be breached.

Satisfied that the electrical shield and magical barriers were in place the monk hurried off to join the other four. The five of them knew what they had to do and had wasted no time in getting started.

They had practiced and rehearsed their actions in preparation for this day. Everything was already set up for the spell they would perform. The last monk slipped into the spot left open for him and joined hands with the man on either side of him.

Magic began to fill the air until the entire secret chamber was infused with the power they had called up to accomplish what was needed. The five of them glowed with a ghostly light that contrasted with the emerald green glow of the object they were protecting. Soon the white and the green began to mix and meld as it coalesced into a radiant, paler jade color that gathered at a point in the room above the five men gathered there.

Outside the chamber chaos and death filled the atmosphere. Voldemort had sent his Death Eaters ahead of him and as they fought the remaining monks knew it was the only reason the world hadn't been doomed yet.

Then it happened; death eaters disengaged and spread to form an aisle that their master walked up. He had appeared. The monks looked at each other then closed their eyes. They had done what they could. It was up to the others now. Green light flashed behind their eyes and they lived no more.

The door to the secret room blasted off its hinges and wards exploded in a shower of sparks. Voldemort had finally arrived, but it was too late.

Five monks chanted the last word and the jade energy of the Key vanished from the room.

The last thing the remaining monks saw before they died was the red glow of Voldemort's enraged eyes when he realized the Key had slipped from his grasp.

**End Prologue**


	2. Part 1

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 1?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**Part 1**

Dawn ran through the halls of Hogwarts, trying to hold in her emotions till she could be alone outside. Feelings battled inside her for precedence. Anger, fear, disbelief, sorrow, guilt… It all tumbled about inside her until she felt dizzy with the force of her emotions.

It was just one revelation too many. She had just come from Dumbledore's office where he had promised to answer their questions after the battle at the Ministry. He had told her and Harry about the prophecy and Dawn's origins.

Harry was part of a prophecy, to kill or be killed by Voldemort.

Dawn was a Key.

And worse, Sirius was lost to them forever. According to Dumbledore there was no coming back from behind the Veil.

It hurt that Harry wasn't her brother. She wasn't one half of a set of twins. James and Lily were never her parents. She didn't even have parents unless you counted a bunch of weird monks as parents.

Dawn hadn't been born. She was created by monks and sent to Harry to protect her from Voldemort. She used to be a big, swirling, green mass of energy that Voldemort was after. How was she to reconcile what she is now with what she once was?

Voldemort wanted to use her for who knew what, and he had killed so many already in an attempt to get her, she thought sorrowfully.

Dawn angrily swiped at the tears streaming down her face. She wasn't supposed to be here! Did she even have a soul? Could she be a real person if she wasn't born in the same way as everyone else? Or was she nothing but a dangerous mass of energy disguised as a person? Would she bleed green energy if she were cut?

She hated the realization that her memories weren't real. They were planted, created by the power the monks had used to disguise her true nature. She could feel reality slipping from her grasp. Was anything real? Was it all false? Was she even feeling what she was feeling? Or was this a creation too?

She couldn't seem to point to anything in her memories that she could say aha! This was real! I know this happened! Her memories were all colored with shades of illusion. Everything was just a creation. A lie. False reality. It never happened. She had never been there. None of the love and the friendships in her life was real. They had all been created by those stupid bloody monks!

What was she going to do?

She ran past the lake and ignored the giant squid when it waved a tentacle at her. She had never sat there with Fred, George, and Lee as they introduced her to the squid. She ran past Hagrid's Hut where she had never attempted to eat Hagrid's horrible cooking and tried to hide it when he wasn't looking. She had never had tea and talked with Hagrid about school and her friends, or asked about her parents.

Dawn kept running, determined to reach the one place where no one would follow.

The Forbidden Forest.

At least no one would follow but a foolish, brave Gryffindor who wasn't really her brother.

"Dawn stop!"

Harry's hand on her arm stopped her headlong flight. "Let me go, Harry."

"No." Harry's stubborn streak, the one they had inherited from Lily decided now was a perfectly good time to show up. No _they_ didn't inherit it she corrected herself. Only Harry. Fresh tears slipped a trail down her face.

"This doesn't change anything," Harry argued.

Dawn pulled her arm free and swiped at the tears on her face. "But it does," she protested. "It changes everything. I've changed everything. This isn't the way it's supposed to be." She pointed at the castle. "You heard Dumbledore. I'm not real! I'm not your sister. I'm just one more problem the monks decided to drop into your lap!

"No! No." Harry said emphatically. He paced in front of her determined to resist the urge to shake some sense into his twin's head. Because she was his twin, no matter what anyone had done or what Dumbledore had said. "How you got here makes not one bloody difference to me, Dawn! You're my sister. I feel it, and you can too. You know we've got a connection just like the one Ron's always complaining Fred and George have. How many times have you said what I was thinking? How many times have I finished your sentences, or handed you an ingredient in Potions class before you ask for it? How do you always know when I'm having a nightmare?"

Harry stopped and faced his sister, determined to make her believe everything he was saying, everything he felt. "Do you remember the Mirror of Erised? When I looked into it and saw my family you were standing right there with them. You _are _my family, Dawn. You're my sister in all the ways that count no matter what you or anyone else says."

Harry started pacing again. "So you weren't here before, Dawn! Big deal!" Harry waved his hands angrily and then stopped to face her again. He pointed at the ground between them. "You're here now and that's what counts." He asked earnestly, "You can't tell me you're going to just take his words at face value are you? Dumbledore has planned the way things have gone. He keeps secrets from us, stuff we should know, until _he_ decides we're ready to know it!" Harry waved a hand in the direction of the castle. "He doesn't know everything and despite what he said, what you believe, you _are_ my sister and I wouldn't want it any other way. We're family and that's what counts. Not some stupid prophecy, not some crazy monks, or your mysterious powers."

Dawn started to cry again and threw her arms around her brother in relief. They held each other tight and strengthened the bond that may have started out as a created one with no basis in reality but was every bit as real as it felt in that moment.

Dawn lost track of how long they stood like that but eventually they pulled apart and looked questioningly at each other. "What do we do now?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "But we'll figure something out.

"You won't," Dawn hesitantly began, "tell anyone about this will you? About me?"

Harry shook his head. "No, and we won't mention the prophecy either. We need time to figure this out and decide what to do."

"Right," Dawn nodded. She began straightening her appearance in preparation to head back. Harry handed her a handkerchief and she wiped her eyes then blew her nose. They slowly began the trek back towards the castle. Dawn suddenly stopped in mid-step and gestured between them. "I just realized, this means I really am related to the Dursleys and we still have to go back there."

Harry grimaced. "Ugh. I had forgotten about that. What with everything that's happened. Wonderful."

This time the walk back to the castle was even more reluctant and slow.

**End Part 1**


	3. Part 2

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 2?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.  
**A.N.** I'm trying to stay true to canon (well as true as I can be with Dawn involved in an AU story) so I borrowed a few events from the end of book 5 namely the confrontation with Malfoy on the train and the gang finding out about Cho and Michael Corner. I changed things for the purposes of this story but if it looks familiar that's why.

**Part 2**

Harry and Dawn spent most of the time remaining in the school term together interspersed with visits to the hospital wing to see Ron and Hermione. Despite their vows to each other to talk about what Dumbledore had told them and where to go from there, they spent a lot of time in silence brooding over it all. Harry was consumed with guilt over Sirius's death and anger at Dumbledore and Snape. If not for Snape and the way he treated Harry in his occlumency lessons, or Dumbledore's deliberate silence on why he was having occlumency lessons, and a million other important issues Harry felt he needed to know, that whole mess at the ministry could have been avoided. And yet, every time the memory of Dumbledore's face swam in his mind's eye he could see the tear that had slowly fallen down the Professor's face. Every time it happened Harry was filled with shame over his actions and a wish to just go up to Dumbledore's office and talk with him with the ease that he used to do so.

Dawn was busy worrying over whether any of the feelings or friendships in her life were real. She had had the same nightmare for a few nights now that whatever magic the monks had used to place her with Harry and include her in everyone's memories broke and no one could remember who she was. Then she started to fade away like a ghost because she wasn't real; but it was worse than being a ghost because she wasn't a person, just a magical object, so she wasn't going to heaven or hell. She just knew in her dream that when she disappeared it would be completely. Just disappearing into nothing like she was never there. She'd wake up screaming with terror at the realization.

The other girls in her dormitory assumed the dreams were because of the attack by Death Eaters and Voldemort at the Ministry, though Dawn hadn't said a word to them about what happened. She couldn't talk about most of it even if she was inclined to say anything to Lavender or Parvati. Hermione, who was in the know about everything that happened since she was there too, assumed the nightmares were about Sirius. They were all partially right. Because while Dawn was waking up screaming from nightmares about what she was, they weren't the only nightmares she had. She had dreams about what the Death Eaters had done and about what Voldemort had done to Harry. She woke up sweaty and trembling from those with her wand clenched in her fingers.

But, she also dreamed about Sirius and seeing him fall in slow motion toward the veil trying to save him and knowing she wouldn't be able to even in her dreams. Those she woke up from crying silently as if her heart would break and feeling conflicted about crying. Would Sirius feel the same way about her if he knew he wasn't really her godfather? Was her grief and love for him real or programmed into her by the monks? As if that wasn't enough to deal with she felt guilt too. Because of what she was, Voldemort was after her and he hadn't stopped at killing to try to get her. Innocent people would probably be hurt because of her and she couldn't help but feel that she was another burden to Harry, another life he was expected to save even though he had told her otherwise.

She wasn't the only one having nightmares either. She knew Hermione and Ginny had them, and Ginny had mentioned Luna was the same. Neville wasn't immune and neither was Ron. Everyone who had been there that day at the ministry was having nightmares. Harry too, though his were in addition to his regular ones. She had overheard Ron whispering to Hermione about Harry's nightmares and knew they had gotten a lot worse than they usually were. Not that Harry had really slept well for a long time, anyway. Still, she knew things were just as bad for Harry as they were for herself. More so probably, when you took into consideration what had happened to Cedric last year, the mistakes of this year, and the information in the prophecy. If Harry hadn't had any nightmares it would have been a miracle.

So it was a rather morose set of siblings that boarded the Hogwarts train home. No one had called them on it yet, assuming that their demeanors were attributed entirely to Sirius' loss. That was part of it, true, but not all of it. Neither of them had told their friends what Dumbledore had told them. It wasn't exactly news you could drop into casual conversation and both of them had gotten into the habit of holding their troubles close.

They did perk up a bit after the traditional confrontation with Malfoy had been gotten out of the way. Besting Malfoy and his goons was always a bit cheering if you didn't get caught. Dawn had dragged Harry with her to say goodbye to a few friends, who happened to be members of the DA, and had just left their compartment when Malfoy and his incredibly stupid sidekicks strolled up.

"You're going to pay, Potter. My dad _will_ get out and you'll be sorry," Draco spat.

"Wow Malfoy, I'm trembling in my boots at the thought of you running to your daddy to tell on me," Harry smirked. "I've already beaten him and put him in Azkaban. I think I can take him again, should be easy don't you think?"

Incensed Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle drew wands, but Harry and Dawn already had theirs out and both hit the trio with hexes. At the commotion, members of the DA had spilled out of the compartment and joined their hexes to Dawn and Harry's. Surprisingly, the compartment on Dawn's left slid open and a hex shot out as well. Dawn whirled when she saw the light of a spell being shot past her. Her wand came up in defense and pointed straight at…Blaise.

Stunned, Dawn saw that he wasn't aiming at her or the DA but at Crabbe who was trying again to take her out. She turned back around and fired off a quick spell. Blaise shot another over her shoulder at the same time. Crabbe didn't really have a chance at succeeding since Dawn was nearly as good at DADA as her twin Harry. Her curse and Blaise's hit him at the same time. Crabbe was down, and seconds later Malfoy and Goyle joined him on the floor. Dawn tuned out the other students' excited babble and glanced back at Blaise curiously. Why had he helped her? She had noticed he hadn't been hanging out as much with the other junior Death Eaters in Slytherin House this year after Christmas Break but she still had no idea what he was doing there. It was so un-Slytherin, and unexpected. What was next, Pansy sharing beauty secrets with Lavender and Parvati? Snape giving points to Gryffindor? Blaise shifted his gaze to Crabbe then back to Dawn. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Dawn answered automatically, still a little shocked and suspicious.

His lips lifted briefly in a small smile before saying, "Good." He gave her a lingering once over as if to make sure of that himself that ended with a smirk.

Dawn blushed at his perusal.

His eyes gleamed in amusement. "You look fine to me too." He drawled. "See you around Potter." Blaise turned around and slipped back into his compartment.

Dawn tried hard not to blush again. The last thing she needed was anyone to notice and suspect the reason why. Sure, Blaise was very attractive. For a Slytherin anyway, but any girl would feel a bit flustered by attention like that. It didn't mean anything and it was best not to get the boys riled up about it. Ron would explode rather dramatically and Harry probably wouldn't be far behind.

She turned her attention back to what was going on. Thankfully, no one was paying any attention to her and she didn't hear anyone mention Blaise's name so he must not have been noticed.

Everyone's attention was focused on the floor as they discussed what to do with the three Slytherins. They had taken so many hexes and curses that they were an unrecognizable gooey mess and bore a slight resemblance to oversized slugs. It was almost impossible to differentiate exactly which curses had hit them. Their parents would probably have a great amount of difficulty determining what had happened to them and fixing it.

Dawn spared a moment's thought for imagining their faces when they saw the Slytherins and nearly laughed out loud. When Harry turned and grinned at her Dawn knew he was thinking the same thing. It was times like this, since she found out what she was, that made her feel like the deep connection between them was real and Harry really was her brother. Who else but her twin would know what she was thinking and be thinking it too?

As if to prove her last thought, Harry's eyes glowed with brotherly affection and he gave her a lopsided smile before he turned his attention back to the problem.

It was finally decided that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle would be stuffed into the luggage racks for their parents to find later. Harry helped to hoist their bodies into place before he and Dawn went back to their seats.

When Cho walked by their compartment later and Hermione mentioned that Cho was seeing someone else, namely Michael Corner, Dawn looked at Harry in surprise. She didn't know that. Of course Ron immediately demanded to know what was going on and Dawn listened with curiosity to Ginny's explanation of their break-up.

Apparently Michael was upset about the way Ginny and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team had beaten them. He thought Ginny should have lost the game and went to console Cho. Hmph, if that was the way he acted she supposed he and Cho deserved each other. Dawn was put out with Cho still for her actions all year with Harry. Thankfully, Harry didn't look too upset at the news. She'd have to question him later about it.

She tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear Ron say to Ginny with a furtive look at Harry, "Just choose someone… better, next time."

She rolled her eyes. Ron was so far from subtle. Typically though, Harry didn't even notice what Ron was hinting at. _Boys._

It was an interesting idea though. Harry and Ginny; the possibility had some merit. She glanced between the two. Ginny was stubborn and energetic enough to drag Harry out of his brooding when he needed it. They were both Gryffindors and had shared some pretty terrifying experiences together. The latest being what happened at the Ministry.

She knew they had something else in common. Harry didn't like to speak of it and Ginny rarely mentioned it herself, but Voldemort had possessed them both now. Dawn had a sneaking suspicion Ginny had a few lasting reminders of it. Reminders like the ability to speak Parselmouth, for example.

Unfortunately, Dawn didn't know Ginny that well with her being a year younger than Dawn. The bulk of Dawn's time was spent with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She should get to know Ginny better if she was thinking of setting her brother up with her.

She glanced speculatively at Harry. She knew Ginny had had a crush on him in the past. A crush she wasn't sure was gone completely, but how did Harry feel about Ginny? Was there any interest there? If there wasn't, then the idea didn't have a chance of working. She'd have to feel him out carefully.

There was time enough for that. They had way too much going on to even think about dating right now. Dawn sighed. Stupid prophesy, stupid monks, stupid Death Eaters following stupid psychos with pretentious names.

What was she going to do? She didn't even know what Voldemort wanted to use the Key for, but she had no doubt it wasn't good. She almost wished Hermione knew what she was and didn't care. Hermione could find practically anything in books. She should have asked Dumbledore when he was in such an information-sharing mood. Unfortunately, Dawn had been too upset to even think of it. She had her doubts that Dumbledore would be as forthcoming with information in the future.

If she wanted to have any chance at stopping Voldemort from doing whatever it is he wanted or finding out where the Key was, she'd have to be prepared. And being prepared meant finding out all she could. Unfortunately, she and Harry would be spending their summer with the Dursleys and wouldn't have any opportunities at all to find out anything. This summer looked to be nearly as frustrating as the last in that respect.

Words couldn't describe how much she and Harry hated being forced to return to the Dursleys. Knowing the reason why hadn't made the prospect any more palatable. The protection hadn't seemed to make a whit of difference anyway when the Dementors showed up last summer.

With a pang of grief she remembered Sirius' offer to stay with him when it looked as if she and Harry would be expelled from Hogwarts. _Oh Sirius._ Her throat felt tight as she fought back tears. She didn't want her friends to see her cry. They'd want to talk about it, and Dawn wasn't ready to talk about everything that made her upset at this point.

She bent her head over the chess game Harry and Ron were playing, letting her hair hide her face as she pretended to study the board. She missed Sirius so much, never mind the fact that she hadn't really known him nearly as long as she thought she did.

Tears fell as she desperately tried to rein in her emotions. A hand reached for hers and held it gently. A wave of comfort, understanding, and shared grief seemed to flow into her where their hands met. Harry. With his help she reined in her emotions. She could cry tonight when she was alone in bed. She clasped his hand tightly. Her twin knew how she felt because he felt it too. How could this not be real? The monks couldn't have faked this, could they?

She knew from Hermione that twins in the wizarding world were much closer than muggle twins. There was a deep bond shared between them. While some muggle twins could at times feel their twin's emotions, wizarding twins could do it at any time and even send emotions if they wanted to. Most wizarding twins could share dreams, which she knew to be true having shared a few of Harry's. If the bond was exceptionally strong they could even send or share thoughts, and in some cases call on the other's talent if needed.

She and Harry weren't the only twins she knew of who could communicate mentally. She had a strong suspicion Fred and George could too from their habit of finishing each other's sentences.

Surely the monks couldn't have manufactured the bond twins share, right? It had to be something between her and Harry. She didn't know if that was true or not, and she was afraid to find out. Dawn was desperately trying to hold on to something real and her bond with Harry was what she was clinging too. If the monks had just created it too, she'd rather not know.

She laid her head on her brother's shoulder. She had managed to gain enough control to stop crying but her emotions these last few days had exhausted her. There was just too much to deal with. It was all too intense, and maybe a summer at the Dursleys unable to do anything would be just what she needed. Hmph, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she realized she had considered staying with the Dursleys a chance to get away from it all and rest.

When Harry yelled out in protest at Ron's destruction of one of his just moved pieces he had considered a good strategy, Dawn welcomed the chance to laugh. She laughed a bit longer than anyone considered normal, but Harry was the only one who didn't give her a weird look for it. Sometimes you just had to laugh or else break down crying.

**End Part 2**


	4. Part 3

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 3?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**Dedication:** This part is for weasleysangel at TTH. She left the first review I've had for this story in quite a while. It was a nice one and brought this story back to the front of my mind.

**AN:** Just a few more recognizable moments from Order of the Phoenix, which have been altered slightly before we head into completely AU territory. I know this is a short one and more of a filler chapter but it had to be gotten out of the way.

**Part 3**

Harry and Dawn both departed from the train reluctantly. Now that the moment was upon them they found themselves doing everything they could to delay the process. Trunks, Hedwig, and Dawn's cat Bastien, were gathered slowly.

After everything was gathered and the ticket inspector signaled that it was safe for Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dawn, and Harry to pass through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten the Potter twins found a surprise waiting for them.

Gathered on the other side of the barrier was a group of people Harry and Dawn hadn't been expecting to be there at all. There was Mad-Eye Moody looking sinister with his bowler hat pulled down low over his magical eye wearing a voluminous cloak and clutching a long staff. Tonks was standing behind him with bright pink hair wearing a pair of heavily patched jeans and a purple T-Shirt with the legend The Weird Sisters. Professor Lupin was there as well sporting a shabby jumper and trousers and a long and threadbare overcoat. And last, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley were there dressed in Muggle clothes along with Fred and George who were both wearing outrageous scaly jackets in a lurid green color. Dawn stifled a snicker at the sight of it and Harry stared amazed before shaking it off as another one of those Weasley eccentricities.

Mrs. Weasley hurried forward to envelope Ron and Ginny in a hug. She stepped back and observed them for a moment as if to be sure that they were really fine, the memory of what happened at the Ministry close in her mind. Satisfied that they were as fine as they could be she turned to Harry and Dawn next. "And how are you, dears?" She asked as she gave them hugs as well.

"Fine," Harry and Dawn replied, lying.

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she could tell they were lying but was distracted from further inquiries by Ron's loud question.

"What are _they_ supposed to be?" Ron stared in disbelief at Fred and George's new clothes.

"Finest Dragon skin, little bro," Fred replied, proudly smoothing his hand down the front of the jacket. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves."

"Hmph," Mrs. Weasley snorted, still not approving of their new business endeavor. She sniffed in disapproval but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to greet Hermione.

"Hi," said Harry. "I didn't expect…what are you all doing here?"

"Well," said Lupin with a slight smile to Harry and Dawn, "we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you two home."

"I dunno if that's a good idea," said Harry at once.

Dawn agreed. The idea of inflicting the Dursleys and their violent dislike of all wizards and witches on these people for the short duration of the conversation had all the makings of a recipe for disaster in her mind. Only the fact that they were in public might have any influence on tempering the Dursleys reaction.

"Oh, I think it is," growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. "That'll be them, will it?" He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad-Eye was pointing and there, sure enough, were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry and Dawn's reception committee. Dawn peered around Lupin and followed her brother's line of sight too with a sigh of disappointment. _She was so not looking forward to another summer with the Dursleys_. A bitter voice in her head spoke up and reminded her that this was actually her second real summer with the Dursleys. All memories of her life with them before last summer weren't real.

"Ah!" said Mr. Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, whom he had been greeting enthusiastically, and who were taking it in turns to hug Hermione. "Well-shall we do it then?"

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," said Moody.

He and Mr. Weasley took the lead across the station toward the place where the Dursleys stood, apparently rooted the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group. Harry and Dawn hurried after them not wanting to miss this even if it had all the makings of a disaster of Titanic proportions.

"Good afternoon," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."

As Mr. Weasley had singlehandedly demolished most of the Dursleys' livings room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr. Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed. She kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry and Dawn," said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.

"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how they're treated when they're at your place."

Uncle Vernon's mustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken expression he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house-"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," growled Moody.

Dawn tried to stifle a snicker at that. She was only marginally successful. Harry grinned at her.

"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry and Dawn-"

"-And make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin pleasantly.

"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry or Dawn use the fellytone-"

"_Telephone,_" whispered Hermione.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that they've been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.

Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said, so loudly that passersby actually turned to stare.

"Yes, I am," said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.

"Well…" said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."

Dawn shared an amused look with Fred and George at this development who both gave her identical wicked grins in reply.

Moody turned from Uncle Vernon to Harry and Dawn. "So Potters…give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along…"

Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbors would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path. Dawn and Harry were rather looking forward to it.

"'Bye, then, Potters," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand. He moved on to Dawn and did the same.

"Take care, Harry, Dawn," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, and Dawn, dear, we'll have you two away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging them again.

"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand.

"Really soon, Dawn," Hermione said earnestly as she hugged her. "We promise."

Harry and Dawn nodded. They somehow could not find words to tell them, what it meant to them, to see them all ranged there, on their side. Instead, Harry smiled, raised a hand in farewell while Dawn did the same, and together they turned around, and led the way out of the station toward the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley hurrying along in their wake.

**End Part 3**


	5. Part 4

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 6?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**Part 4**

The ride to Privet Drive was spent mostly in silence. There was no conversation from the Dursleys and only their actions let on that they weren't entirely successful in ignoring the Potter twins. Uncle Vernon was muttering angrily to himself, his face getting redder with each passing mile away from the train station. His hands clenched the wheel so hard his knuckles were white and he looked upon the verge of ripping the wheel loose every time he made an angry turn.

Aunt Petunia's lips were so pursed in disapproval that her face appeared to have frozen that way, as if she could make no other expression. In contrast to Vernon, she had gotten whiter and paler with her anger as if the indignity she had suffered was slowly killing her.

Dudley whimpered and tried to shift his massive bulk further and further over on the seat every time Harry or Dawn made the slightest move, a task that was virtually impossible considering his grotesque size. Harry and Dawn were highly amused by this and would make sudden moves, which only made Dudley whimper piteously in fear, to point out something in the passing scenery to each other all the while making comments about what the wizarding equivalent was or what spell would accomplish the same effect in the wizarding world. As the talk drifted to the latest spells they had learned this year in the DA, Dudley fainted. His massive body slumped forward pushing Uncle Vernon's seat until he was scrunched up against the wheel. He grunted, his face turned purple, and Uncle Vernon opened his mouth to yell then stopped when his wife hissed, "Vernon, they'll _know_!"

All the while the twins chattered, Uncle Vernon grew redder, Aunt Petunia grew paler, and when he finally roused Dudley tried unsuccessfully to grow smaller.

Harry and Dawn spent the next two weeks keeping to themselves. The Dursleys avoided them entirely when they could which suited the twins just fine. They wrote letters, they watched the Daily Prophet for news of Voldemort's movement, and tried hard not to dwell on Sirius's death, the prophecy, or Dawn's origins. They even studied, anything to keep their minds busy and not focused on this awful waiting. This feeling that something terrible was going to happen, it was only just a matter of time. It was a routine, one they had fallen into over the two weeks they had been back on Privet Drive, and a routine they showed no signs of breaking until something shattered it for them.

Dawn and Harry returned from their walk to the park to an alarming sight. For the most part they kept to the house now that they knew the reasons it was so important for them to be there. And with last year's Dementor attack the house seemed the safest place to be. But cabin fever had set in. They had begun to feel trapped and as if they had to get out of the house that very minute or go crazy. So, they had left the house in a mix of exultation at being free and cautious paranoia that an attack could be lurking around the corner.

And by the looks of it, they had been partially right. It looked as if an attack had taken place at Number Four Privet Drive while they were gone. The front door was hanging tilted looking as if it had been blasted from its hinges. Uncle Vernon and Petunia were frantically piling objects and clothes into a rental car, willy-nilly, with no concern for packing or placement. The one spot of stillness was Dudley, who was curled up on the stoop with a glazed look of pain in his eyes and drool dripping from his chin.

"_What _happened?" Harry asked in shock.

At the sound of his voice, Uncle Vernon stopped his mad dash to the car in mid step. The pile of clothes heaped in his arms fell to the ground and Uncle Vernon turned toward the sound of his nephew's voice with a look of mottled rage building on his features. "You!" He roared. "You brats! That's what happened. We took you in! Fed and sheltered you and _this_ is the thanks we get? _Threats! Destruction! Our precious Dudley attacked!_" Each accusation was yelled louder than the one before it as Uncle Vernon stalked toward them. In alarm, Harry and Dawn both drew their wands, but Uncle Vernon ignored them as he yelled in their face, spittle dripping from his lips in his rage. "It's your fault! This is all your doing and I've had enough! They can have you! They're more than welcome to you. Nothing but trouble since we took you in. You're no longer welcome in our home and when we get back, you'd better not be here!"

"Wait," Harry dared to interrupt. "What attack, what threats? What's _happened_?"

"I'll tell you what's happened," Aunt Petunia hissed, stalking around the car and towards them with fury and hatred blazing in her eyes. "Those _freaks _showed up, cornered us at the movie theater. Blew up our car! _Cursed Dudley!_" This last was spit out in a high, shrill voice.

"Cursed?" Dawn whispered in shock.

Petunia's face hardened. "Cursed," She clipped out. "By curseeo, or whatever nonsensical word passes for language with you abominations. They're coming. Oh yes, they're coming," she said in a pleased voice at seeing their alarmed faces. "And I hope they get _exactly_ what they want. You."

With that Petunia Dursley turned on her heel and helped Dudley into the rental car. She hopped into the front seat and slammed her door with indignation. "Let's go, Vernon!" Her shrill voice drifted through the car window.

Uncle Vernon gave the twins one last hate-filled glare then turned on his heel to obey his wife's summons. He hopped into the rental car and backed out of the driveway with a squeal of rubber on asphalt then sped down the street.

Dawn and Harry looked at each other in horror. Death Eaters were coming!

**End Part 4**


	6. Part 5

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 6?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**AN:** Another short chapter. I've decided to keep them short to cut down on the wait between updates. Also, I don't know what form Garroting Gas actually comes in since I've seen no mention of it in the books or a description on the Lexicon site. So I wrote a description that suits my purposes. Thanks so much to my reviewers Sorting Hat Killer, thsutton, Sarah Lila F, and angelkitty77. I appreciate the good words and you taking the time to review. You guys rock!

**Part 5**

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked, horror widening her eyes.

Harry looked around uneasily as if expecting the Death Eaters to jump out from behind a tree at any moment. "I don't know, but I don't think we should be hanging around outside while we figure that out." He grabbed his sister's hand and started running for the front door.

As soon as they were inside Harry pointed his wand at the broken door. "Reparo!" The door settled back into its frame and the lock clicked as it shut itself.

Dawn stared helplessly around her. They needed to leave but how were they going to do that? The fireplace wasn't hooked up to the floo network and they would probably be caught if they tried to leave on broom. They didn't have a portkey, though Dawn would kill for one right about now, and they couldn't apparate. "What about the Knight Bus?"

"They'll probably be expecting that," Harry replied. "They know we're here and will be looking to escape. They could track us and attack the Knight Bus. I don't want to take that chance." Cedric and Sirius's deaths were nearly breaking him already. He had no desire to add to the burden.

"Well we can't stay _here!_"

"I know," Harry replied in a grim voice. "I don't know how much time we have left before they get here. We have to contact Dumbledore."

At his words, Hedwig landed on his shoulder with a soft hoot. "Do you think you can make it in time, girl?" Harry asked. Hedwig fluffed up her feathers and gave a confident hoot. Harry immediately ran to grab the nearest paper and pen. He ended up using the notepad by the phone intended for taking messages. He quickly scribbled out a note, anxiety and fear making his messy scrawl even more illegible.

_Dumbledore_,

_Death Eaters coming. Send help right away._

_Harry_

He folded the paper not even bothering with an envelope and transfigured a nearby paper clip into some string to tie the letter to Hedwig's outstretched leg. Not wasting any time Hedwig flew out the living room window Harry opened for her and swift wing beats soon carried her beyond their line of sight. Harry shut the window and locked it, pulling the drapes to prevent them from being easily identified as targets.

A racket upstairs announced where Dawn had disappeared to while he was busy with Hedwig and Harry made his way to her bedroom to discover Dawn hastily going through the supplies Fred and George had given her. Harry may have been the one to invest in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes but Dawn was the one who occasionally helped the twins come up with new ideas and test them out. As a result, Fred and George were always sharing their stock with her at no charge. He nearly tripped over the loose floorboard that usually covered Dawn's stash hidden in the floor. It appeared as if Dawn had ripped it loose then thrown it with no regard for where it landed in her haste. Gags and prank objects were scattered all over the floor where she had discarded them. As he watched Dawn tossed a trick wand over her shoulder with a muttered, "that won't help." His sister didn't even look up as Harry's footsteps announced his presence in her room. "Good, you're here. You can help me decide. I want to lay out as many booby traps as we can to stall them before they get here." Dawn grabbed a couple of boxes and thrust them at him. "Here, set up as many of these as you can around the house."

Harry peered down at the boxes in question and grinned when he saw they were the portable swamps Fred and George had created earlier in the year. He hurried down the stairs and cautiously out the door on the lookout for the coming attack. Seeing the coast was clear for now he immediately set to work. Minutes later he gazed in satisfaction at the swamps that surrounded Number Four Privet Drive. The swamps had met and melded into one giant swamp that stretched quite a distance in all directions. The nearby houses of the neighbors looked like nothing so much as lonely islands in a vast bog. The Death Eaters wouldn't be getting into the house easily tonight.

He hurried back inside to discover that Dawn had begun rigging some Wildfire Whiz-Bangs around windows and doors to go off the second the entrances were forced. "Since we don't know any wards this will have to do," Dawn said as she attached fireworks around the frame of the living room window. Harry grabbed some out of the box she pointed to and set to work helping Dawn finish the job. Bastien observed their efforts solemnly from his perch on the table.

"What else?" He asked when the task was finished.

Dawn headed to the open box sitting on the dining room table she had carried downstairs. "Now we arm ourselves."

She opened a pouch that contained four nondescript orbs. They reminded him of muggle grenades without the pins. "What are those?" Harry asked curiously.

"Garroting Gas," Dawn replied. "Fred and George left them to me. They never had the chance to use them on Umbridge before they left. Just in case. Here, you take these. They'll explode on impact."

Harry had just slipped the two she handed him into his pocket when the pops of Wizards apparating announced that the enemy had arrived. Shouts of alarm and anger filled the air as the Death Eaters realized they had apparated into the middle of a swamp and not the street as they had expected to.

Dawn's face immediately paled. "They're here," she whispered with dread. She hurriedly swept two cloaks out of the box. Harry recognized them as a pair of the shield cloaks Fred and George had invented. "Quick, put it on," she urged pairing action with her words.

Harry swung the cloak over his shoulders enveloping his body in the protective folds of fabric. He hurriedly fastened the buttons to ensure as much of his body as possible would remain covered. The cloak was loose ensuring ease of movement, which he was thankful for. He knew he was going to need it soon. The swamp and the fireworks wouldn't hold the Death Eaters at bay for long and the second they forced their way inside Harry and Dawn would be fighting for their lives, dodging hexes and jinxes.

Dawn stepped to the right of the living room window and cautiously lifted the edge of the curtain to peer outside. A few quick thinking Death Eaters had apparated to the edge of the swamp and were rapidly turning their energy towards clearing a path to the house with a vanishing spell. Thanks to Fred and George's deviousness it wasn't as easy a task as it seemed. As soon as one area was clear more of the swamp rushed in to fill its space. However, as Dawn watched more of the Death Eaters were joining the effort and it wouldn't be long before the swamp was gone. There were so many. How were they going to be able to take on that many Death Eaters and survive? The answer was that they likely wouldn't.

"How many are there?" Harry's quiet voice pulled Dawn out of the spiraling pit of fear she had started to descend into. She pulled herself together with an effort. She was a Gryffindor and a Potter; they had managed to pull through hopeless situations before. Only the strained sound of her voice gave evidence to the struggle within. "Too many," Dawn said calmly, her face a stoic mask of determination. "I count fourteen so far."

"Well, that's encouraging," Harry replied.

Dawn swung away from the window to stare incredulously at her crazy brother.

Harry ignored the look on her face that said he was one pawn short a chess set and concentrated on reassuring his sister. "Well, they thought it would take at least that many just to fight the two of us. I'd say that raises the odds on our side for survival just a bit, don't you think?" He tried to block out the dread that was twisting his insides and believe what he was saying.

"Well, I suppose when you put it that way," Dawn said hesitantly then bit her lip. She turned back to the window to check on the enemy's progress. "They're nearly through the swamp." She stepped away from the window and headed for the front hall where it seemed a number of the Death Eaters were concentrating on gaining entry through. Harry wordlessly followed using these last minutes to run through the spells he knew, focusing on the ones he knew would help him the most.

Dawn tightened her grip on her wand as she faced the front door, her knuckles turning white in reaction to the tension of her hold. Bastian pressed reassuringly against her legs, surprising her. She had completely forgotten the presence of her cat in the house. She gazed worriedly down at her feline companion. "Bastien, I want you to find a hiding spot and stay there. I don't want you hurt." Bastien showed no reaction to her words, stubbornly staying by her side. "I mean it, Bastien. Don't force me to make you." Bastien's eyes narrowed but he dutifully slinked away. She hoped he would survive the night.

Loud voices indicated the Death Eaters had arrived at the house. From their vantage point in the front hall Dawn and Harry watched shadows shifting behind the curtains of the nearby windows as the Death Eaters spread out. They shifted into a battle stance, wands at the ready and waited in tense expectation, staring at the door in front of them. Seconds later a voice shouted, "Now!"

Spells simultaneously hit the front door and windows. The twins were unable to tell what spells were cast through the chaos of mixed voices but it didn't matter. Explosions rocked the house as the fireworks went off. Screams of pain filled the air as the fireworks collided with those who had cast the spells. Smoke and flames flickered on dark robes and masks, and the smell of burning flesh soon filled the air threatening to turn the stomachs of both the twins. But they didn't have time to focus on that, because other Death Eaters were stepping over and around the bodies of their fallen allies.

The battle had begun.

**End Part 5**

If you'd like to read all of my fanfic, not just the ones posted on this site then join my update group. The address is in my profile. I post there first before I update anywhere else. And if you'd like to find out spoilers for any of my fics, read sneak peeks of upcoming chapters, or read any of my drabble contributions to livejournal communities then visit my livejournal. The address for that is also in my profile. I'm on their just about every day so if you leave a comment there you're sure to get a reply very soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**Name:** Kristen  
**Title:** Twin Destinies 6?  
**Website:** http/magical-worlds.us/scribblings  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything mentioned in the Harry Potter books. That honor goes to J.K. Rowling. I also don't own anything on the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else has a piece of that pie. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made. This is just for my own amusement and only the plot is mine.  
**Rating:** PG-13/Teen   
**Pairings:** Dawn/Blaise and Harry/Ginny eventually  
**Spoilers:** General Season 5 Spoilers for BtVS and spoilers for all of the Harry Potter books, especially for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  
**Summary:** Answer to one of my own challenges posted a long time ago, what if the monks had sent Dawn to someone else? Voldemort is after the key for purposes better left alone and the monks send her to Harry Potter for protection.  
**Feedback:** Is always appreciated. It's what keeps me writing and I'd love to know what you think of this. I don't get many reviews any more so any comments would be appreciated. Let me know where I'm going wrong or what you think I'm doing right. And if you haven't reviewed before now's your chance.

**AN:** This chapter takes place at the same time that Harry and Dawn are preparing for the attack on Privet Drive. It's a short chapter to tide you over while I work on the battle at Privet Drive. Action scenes aren't really my forte so I'm taking my time with it to get it right. I've also gone through and made minor changes to all previous chapters in an effort to improve the quality of the chapters. You can go back and read those but it's not required since I didn't make major changes. Although after seeing the GOF movie I'm sorely tempted to bring back Cedric. Couldn't you just see a Dawn/Cedric pairing? The very thought makes my muse giddy. I could lose the last of my resistance to such a pairing if I were to get any reviews that encourage my madness. So come on, you know you want it. I even know how I could make it work. Dawn/Cedric sounds so nice doesn't it? Finally, as always, please read and review even if it's just to tell me my crazy pairing idea should be forgotten.

**Part 6**

Dumbledore recognized the owl bearing down on him as Hedwig, the owl that belonged to Harry Potter. He was rather surprised to be hearing from the Gryffindor teen at all considering that Harry and Dawn had taken the news of Dawn's origins and Harry's role in prophecy rather badly to put it mildly. He knew they were angry with him. The office he had spent hours putting back to rights the muggle way in a failed effort to appease his grief and guilt only proved that.

So why was Hedwig flying towards him with such a palpable sense of urgency? Dumbledore paused in the hallway waiting for the snowy owl to reach him. He had been on his way down to the great hall for dinner and halfway to his destination when he first noticed the owl.

Hedwig landed on the brilliant robes covering Dumbledore's outstretched arm and stretched out the leg bearing a hastily folded message. She hooted impatiently at Dumbledore when he didn't seem to be moving fast enough for her liking.

With a feeling of foreboding for what he would read, surely not good news if Hedwig was this agitated, Dumbledore unfolded the letter and read.

It was a short message, but one that simultaneously sent chills down his spine while urging the aging wizard to move faster than most people would expect of him.

_Dumbledore,_

_Death Eaters coming. Send help right away._

_Harry  
_

And at that moment, almost as if Fate had timed it so, Dumbledore felt the new wards he had constructed to safeguard the Potter twins and alert him of attack fall. The letter crumpled in Dumbledore's hands as it was smashed against his robes when he grabbed them so that he could run all the faster without their length impeding his progress. If anyone had been around they'd have seen the astonishing sight of Dumbledore displaying a surprising amount of speed and agility as he raced through the halls, elaborate robes hiked up and his beard trailing over his shoulders like streamers in the wind.

He fairly flew as he backtracked the path he had leisurely walked before from his office. He shouted the password to his office the second he turned the corner to the corridor and was racing up the spiral staircase before it had even finished unwinding. Not willing to wait for the stairs Dumbledore quickly cast the levitation charm and floated the rest of the way up to his office. "Fawkes!" He shouted, startling his phoenix from his slumber. "Harry's in danger," Dumbledore explained as he hastily activated his coin. Once he had learned what the remarkable Miss Granger had accomplished to alert members of the D.A. he had immediately seen the benefits and implemented the plan for the members of the Order. "I need you to go to him."

Fawkes trilled a few reassuring notes before he vanished from his perch, but even his phoenix song that usually reassured Dumbledore couldn't completely take the fear and anxiety for Harry and Dawn's safety from his mind. If Voldemort were to get his hands on them… It would be a disastrous blow for the Order, but even more so for Dumbledore who had gown to love them. He loved them probably far more than a professor should, but they had taken up residence in his heart and he wouldn't have it any other way. He had begun to consider them the grandchildren he had never had. To think of what Voldemort would do to them if they were taken…

Well, he couldn't bear thinking about it.

As Fawkes disappeared, Dumbledore grabbed the floo powder and set to alerting Minerva and Severus of the situation. The fire flared green and he wasted no time sticking his head inside and shouting into Minerva's quarters for her presence.

"Here, Albus!" Professor McGonagall came rushing into her common room looking extremely alarmed. Whenever she heard that tone in his voice the news was never good.

Dumbledore wasted no time on the preliminaries. "Death Eaters are on their way to Privet Drive. I need you there."

Professor McGonagall's face paled as she immediately grasped the import of what he was saying. Her hand clutched her throat in alarm. "Of course." She retrieved her wand from her pocket. "I'll leave immediately."

The headmaster didn't wait for her to do so, his head had already left her fireplace and was back in his own office. The fire flared green once more as Dumbledore flooed Snape's office.

The first sight to meet his eyes was Severus clutching his inner left arm with a grimace of pain.

"Headmaster!" Snape cried in surprise. "I'm being su-"

Dumbledore cut him off. "I know. I've just received word that Death Eaters are on their way to Privet Drive."

Severus's face tightened. Potter. His dislike showed on his face but he still knew he would do whatever he could to protect the boy.

"It is vitally important that you protect them both. Do not let them fall into Voldemort's hands, even at the risk of your cover," Dumbledore informed him with a look of urgency in his eyes.

_The both of them?_ "Headmaster, are you sure?" Professor Snape asked, even as a fresh wave of intense pain radiated out from the mark on his left arm. "If my cover is blown-" _How would he atone for what he had done? What benefit would he be to the Order?_

"Then we will deal with it, Severus, but none of us will survive the war if Voldemort should get his hands on the Potter twins."

Dumbledore's words filled Snape with dread. He knew there was much about the Potter teens' importance to the war he was unaware of. He had only heard part of the prophecy that day so many years ago after all, but Snape trusted Dumbledore implicitly. If he said the annoying brats couldn't fall into the Dark Lord's hands then that was all there was to it. He would do this for the Headmaster no matter what the cost. He straightened his shoulders in resolve. "The Potters will not be taken," he promised the headmaster.

"Be safe, Severus," Dumbledore said as Severus swept his robes around him and departed the dungeons.

**End Part 6**

If you'd like to read all of my fanfic, not just the ones posted on this site then join my update group. The address is in my profile. I post there first before I update anywhere else. And if you'd like to find out spoilers for any of my fics, read sneak peeks of upcoming chapters, or read any of my drabble contributions to livejournal communities then visit my livejournal. The address for that is also in my profile. I'm on their just about every day so if you leave a comment there you're sure to get a reply very soon.


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